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Chilling Warning Professor Made About Bryan Kohberger’s Behavior As Complaints Piled Up Before Tragedy
Bryan Kohberger in a courtroom, wearing a suit and tie, with a serious expression amid mounting complaints.

Chilling Warning Professor Made About Bryan Kohberger’s Behavior As Complaints Piled Up Before Tragedy

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Just weeks before four University of Idaho students were slain in 2022, a Washington State University professor warned colleagues that Bryan Kohberger posed a serious threat

Newly released police reports revealed that faculty and students filed 13 formal complaints about his sexist, predatory, and intimidating behavior. 

Despite escalating concerns, Kohberger remained in the doctoral criminology program until he was arrested for the killings.

Highlights
  • Newly unsealed reports showed that WSU faculty repeatedly warned about Bryan Kohberger’s disturbing behavior.
  • Professors and students filed over a dozen complaints about sexism, harassment, and threatening conduct.
  • Kohberger k*lled four University of Idaho students in November 2022.
RELATED:

    Complaints about Kohberger painted a portrait of a predator in the making

    Washington State University campus with autumn foliage, related to chilling warning professor made about Bryan Kohberger behavior.

    Image credits: WSU

    One professor told investigators she feared Kohberger would eventually become a threat to students if given the chance to become a professor, according to investigative files made public by Idaho State Police.

    “Mark my word, I work with predators, if we give him a PhD., that’s the guy that in those many years when he is a professor, we will hear is harassing, stalking, and se*ually ab*sing… his students at whatever university,” the professor stated.

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    According to the police reports, Kohberger blocked doors to offices where women worked, stood uncomfortably close, and stared at them in ways that left them feeling trapped.

    Man in dark suit and tie looking down seriously, related to Bryan Kohberger behavior warning before tragedy.

    Image credits: Getty / Pool

    One graduate student remembered whispering, “I really need to get out of here,” while Kohberger lingered in the room.

    Female students said he often made misogynistic remarks, arriving late to classes taught by women. 

    Some even kept a board tracking his disrespect. Complaints also described discriminatory comments that were homophobic, ableist, xenophobic, and deeply inappropriate.

    Yearbook style photos showing Bryan Kohberger among other students, highlighting warnings about his behavior before tragedy.

    Image credits: Getty / Idaho Statesman

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    A deaf classmate recalled him asking if she “would be comfortable procreating given the fact she had a disability.”

    A divorced woman also recounted an instance when Kohberger reportedly told her that he didn’t date “broken women.” 

    An instructor also noted that she spent “a lot of time” speaking about Kohberger during disciplinary meetings, according to theNew York Post.

    Aerial view of a university campus at sunset illustrating the setting related to Bryan Kohberger's behavior warning.

    Image credits: WSU

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    “The meetings focused around Kohberger’s interactions with fellow post-graduate students, in and out of the classroom, along with his behavior around some of the criminal justice professors,” the investigator’s report read.

    Students felt so unsafe around Kohberger that they started taking precautions

    By fall 2022, Kohberger had developed areputation in the department as “being a d**k,” according to one doctoral candidate. There were also concerns that Kohberger was an “incel.”

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    Young man in a dress shirt and tie, associated with warnings about Bryan Kohberger's behavior before tragedy.

    Image credits: WSU

    An undergraduate worker in the criminology office said Kohberger cornered her and repeatedly pressured her into conversations she didn’t want. 

    After he asked her on a date despite her saying she had a girlfriend, she started relying on her boss for rides home so she wouldn’t walk or take the bus alone, according to People magazine. 

    This resulted in at least one person in the undergraduate worker’s life expressing concern about “how many precautions she perceived were being taken because of Kohberger.”

    Group of young people smiling casually on a porch, highlighting Bryan Kohberger's behavior before tragedy in the professor's warning.

    Image credits: Instagram / kayleegoncalves

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    She also “recounted an incident in which her neighbor saw someone very close outside her window,” before realizing that Kohberger lived nearby.

    Kohberger didn’t just terrorize his female classmates. A male student also recalled being “verbally kidnapped” into a three-hour conversation in a parking lot. 

    At the time, Kohberger reportedly bragged that he could “pick up any woman he wanted in bars and clubs.”

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    Concerns grew so serious that the university required all doctoral students to attend mandatory training for all graduate students about behavioral expectations. 

    That same weekend, Kohbergerattacked and slayed Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.

    Police reports suggested that WSU students and instructors didn’t initially suspect Kohberger

    Two young women smiling outdoors, with one wearing an Idaho sweatshirt, unrelated to Bryan Kohberger behavior warnings.

    Image credits: Instagram / kayleegoncalves

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    Three weeks after the crime, Kohberger eerily told a fellowstudent that whoever committed it “must have been pretty good.” 

    He also speculated it might have been a “one and done type thing.”

    Kohberger was later convicted of slaying Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20. The four were found st*bbed inside an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, on November 13, 2022.

    On July 23, 2024, Judge Steven Hipplersentenced Kohberger to four life terms without parole, plus 10 years for burglary. He was also ordered to pay about $250,000 in fines and penalties.

    The release of these reports has only deepened questions about whether more could have been done about Kohberger when so many red flags were raised. 

    Netizens shared their thoughts about Kohberger’s professors’ comments on social media

    Screenshot of Anne Gorman’s comment discussing warning signs about Bryan Kohberger’s behavior before tragedy occurred.

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    Comment by Tiffany Lauren highlighting complaints about Bryan Kohberger's behavior before the tragedy involving female grad students.

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    Comment by Anne Gorman on Bryan Kohberger's behavior, highlighting warnings and complaints before the tragedy occurred.

    Screenshot of a Facebook comment by Brandon B Young stating typical behavior, related to Bryan Kohberger's behavior complaints.

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    Comment by Michele Slack stating families should sue WSU for ignoring multiple complaints about Bryan Kohberger's behavior.

    Screenshot of a social media comment by Kelly Zara reading Crazy eyes related to Bryan Kohberger's behavior complaints.

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    Comment by Rita Shriber saying many warning signs missed before tragedy, related to Bryan Kohberger’s behavior complaints.

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    Comment by Nancy Moore Colwell stating 13 complaints about Bryan Kohberger’s behavior ignored before tragedy occurred.

    Text message warning about Bryan Kohberger's behavior and concerns raised before the tragic incident unfolded.

    Comment praising a professor’s warning about Bryan Kohberger’s behavior before complaints and tragedy, displayed in a social media post.

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    Comment by Hector Rivera Martinez warning to ignore the warning sign amid complaints about Bryan Kohberger's behavior.

    Comment from April Peeler discussing professor’s chilling warning about Bryan Kohberger’s behavior before tragedy occurred.

    Comment from Samuel Spiridon Olivas expressing concern about Bryan Kohberger's behavior before the tragedy in a social media post.

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    Message from Tiffany Lauren warning about Bryan Kohberger’s behavior amid complaints before tragedy happened.

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    Peter Michael de Jesus

    Peter Michael de Jesus

    Writer, Entertainment News Writer

    Read more »

    After almost a decade of reporting straight hard news, I now bring that discipline to entertainment writing at Bored Panda. I cover celebrity updates, viral trends, and cultural stories with speed and accuracy, while also embracing the lighter, evergreen side of pop culture. My articles are often syndicated to MSN, extending their reach to broader audiences. My goal is straightforward: to deliver trustworthy coverage that keeps readers informed about the stories dominating the conversation today.

    Read less »
    Peter Michael de Jesus

    Peter Michael de Jesus

    Writer, Entertainment News Writer

    After almost a decade of reporting straight hard news, I now bring that discipline to entertainment writing at Bored Panda. I cover celebrity updates, viral trends, and cultural stories with speed and accuracy, while also embracing the lighter, evergreen side of pop culture. My articles are often syndicated to MSN, extending their reach to broader audiences. My goal is straightforward: to deliver trustworthy coverage that keeps readers informed about the stories dominating the conversation today.

    What do you think ?
    Pittsburgh rare
    Community Member
    3 months ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Michael Sobota, from the comments, is also someone l'd keep an eye on. Just saying...

    Mel in Georgia
    Community Member
    Premium
    3 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Like one commenter said, you can take disciplinary actions for inappropriate behavior, but you can't arrest someone for being a d ick. Everyone who knew him knew he was gonna do something terrible sometime. But you need a pre-cog to know exactly when and where. Disgusting.

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    Nova Rook
    Community Member
    3 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Some places prefer to downplay murderers so as to not give them a special mystique and to avoid sensationalizing. BP chooses to share as many flattering pictures of this m******r as possible. Choices matter.

    Load More Comments
    Pittsburgh rare
    Community Member
    3 months ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Michael Sobota, from the comments, is also someone l'd keep an eye on. Just saying...

    Mel in Georgia
    Community Member
    Premium
    3 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Like one commenter said, you can take disciplinary actions for inappropriate behavior, but you can't arrest someone for being a d ick. Everyone who knew him knew he was gonna do something terrible sometime. But you need a pre-cog to know exactly when and where. Disgusting.

    ADVERTISEMENT
    Nova Rook
    Community Member
    3 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Some places prefer to downplay murderers so as to not give them a special mystique and to avoid sensationalizing. BP chooses to share as many flattering pictures of this m******r as possible. Choices matter.

    Load More Comments
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